Ritualization of Power and Discursive Legitimation: An Analysis of President Paul Biya’s Swearing-in Speech (6 November 2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18057024%20Keywords:
Biya, légitimation, rituel politique, discours présidentiel, postcolonieAbstract
The October 2025 presidential election in Cameroon and President Paul Biya’s swearing-in on 6 November 2025 represent a key moment of power ritualization and discursive legitimation. This article examines how the inaugural speech constructs and reinforces presidential legitimacy through rhetorical strategies, institutional references, and an ethos of continuity. The study employs critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1992), complemented by the concepts of the “mask of power” (Charaudeau, 2005) and symbolic power in the postcolony (Mbembe, 2000). The speech is analyzed along two axes: the staging of power and presidential enunciation, and the programmatic discourse addressing democracy, moralization, and economic development. Findings indicate that the swearing-in ceremony consolidates authority by combining institutional ritual, development promises, and continuity discourse rather than signaling a political rupture.
References
Austin, J. L. (1962). How to Do Things with Words. Oxford : Clarendon Press,
Charaudeau, P. (2005). Le discours politique. Paris : Armand Colin,
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge : Polity Press,
Mbembe, A. (2000). De la postcolonie. Paris : Karthala,
Van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. London : Sage,
Sithole, M., Nguijol, J., & Micozzi, F. (2024). Democracy and Legitimacy in Sub-Saharan Africa. London : Routledge,
Charaudeau, P., & Maingueneau, D. (2002). Dictionnaire d’analyse du discours. Paris : Seuil,
Fowler, R. (1991). Language in the News: Discourse and Ideology in the Press. London : Routledge,
van Leeuwen, T. (2008). Discourse and Practice: New Tools for Critical Discourse Analysis. Oxford : Oxford University Press, .
Meyer, M., & Wodak, R. (2001). Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. London : Sage,
Cohen, A., & Odhiambo, A. (2019). Rituals and Power in Contemporary Africa. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press,
Gros, F. (2015). La parole politique et ses effets. Paris : Presses Universitaires de France,
Bayart, J.-F. (1993). L’État en Afrique: La politique du ventre. Paris : Fayard,
Nyamnjoh, F. B. (2005). Africa’s Media: Democracy, Governance and the Public Sphere. London : Zed Books,
Foucault, M. (1975). Surveiller et punir: Naissance de la prison. Paris : Gallimard,
Habermas, J. (1981). The Theory of Communicative Action. Boston : Beacon Press,
Glissant, É. (1990). Poétique de la Relation. Paris : Gallimard, .
Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and Symbolic Power. Cambridge : Harvard University Press,
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Interdisciplinary African Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
